CVE-2026-90690
Received Received - Intake

Command Injection in HexStrike AI

Publication date: 2026-09-14

Last updated on: 2026-09-14

Assigner: VulDB

Description
A weakness has been identified in 0x4m4 HexStrike AI up to d689933ff579d839c676c82b231f8e98326c5f04. The affected element is the function subprocess.Popen of the file hexstrike_server.py of the component API Tools Endpoint. Executing a manipulation of the argument additional_args/target/username/password/scan_type/payload can lead to os command injection. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. This product does not use versioning. This is why information about affected and unaffected releases are unavailable. A fix appears to be in progress.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-14
Last Modified
2026-09-14
Generated
2026-09-14
AI Q&A
2026-09-14
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-90690
EUVD
EUVD-2026-77215

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
0x4m4 hexstrike_ai to d689933ff579d839c676c82b231f8e98326c5f04 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-78 The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.
CWE-77 The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a command injection flaw in HexStrike AI up to a specific commit. The issue is in the hexstrike_server.py file where the subprocess.Popen function is used unsafely. User input from parameters like additional_args, target, username, password, scan_type, or payload is directly appended to shell commands without sanitization. This allows attackers to inject malicious commands that execute on the server.

Detection Guidance

Check if HexStrike AI is running on your system by inspecting processes for hexstrike_server.py. Look for network connections on port 0.0.0.0 using commands like netstat -tulnp or ss -tulnp. Review logs for suspicious API calls to /api/tools/* endpoints with unusual parameters like additional_args containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, $(...)).

Test endpoints manually by sending crafted requests with payloads like additional_args='; whoami' to any /api/tools/* endpoint. If the response includes system command output, the vulnerability is present.

Impact Analysis

An attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary commands on the server. This could lead to full system compromise, including data theft, file manipulation, or installing malware. Since the server binds to 0.0.0.0, attacks can come from anywhere on the network without authentication. The impact includes unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential persistence mechanisms.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability likely violates compliance requirements for data protection and security. GDPR requires adequate security measures to protect personal data, and HIPAA mandates safeguards against unauthorized access. Exploiting this flaw could lead to unauthorized data exposure, violating these regulations and potentially resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately stop the HexStrike AI server if running. Remove or disable the vulnerable endpoints under /api/tools/*. Apply the patch from PR #266 which replaces unsafe command construction with safe argument handling. Bind the server to 127.0.0.1 instead of 0.0.0.0 to limit exposure.

Add authentication to all API endpoints and implement strict input validation for all user-supplied parameters. Monitor for any signs of compromise such as unexpected processes or file changes.

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